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VICTORIA — Driving a forklift is a lot more fun than working as a chambermaid, 31-year-old Jaime McDonald has discovered.

"I wanted to try some different work and I thought this might be interesting," said McDonald, the only woman among 19 students taking an innovative trades training course on the Pauquachin First Nation reserve.

The students, ranging in age from 15 to 51, are largely of First Nations ancestry. The Trade Awareness, Skills and Knowledge (TASK) course gives hands-on training in seven trades while awarding credits towards high-school graduation.

Employers have responded by lining up to give participants the necessary work experience.

"The employers are critical because, if we can't get placements, we can't move forward," said Wendy Walker of the school district's Independent Learning Centre. Walker helped Stu Rhodes, career counsellor at Stelly's Secondary School in Saanichton, B.C., to design the program.

Some employers are offering placements even though work is in short supply in the current economic climate, Rhodes said.

"They are philosophically aligned with us."

Credits earned toward graduation are a bonus, and about half the participants say they will continue their education, Walker said. Completing the course will give them more than half the credits necessary for adult graduation.

The course also helps some overcome the fear of returning to school and gives them the confidence to take the next step, Walker said.

"I have heard some of them saying, 'Hey, I really like math,' " she said.

The program, which ends in June, has drawn national attention. In March, it was given an award by the Counselling Foundation of Canada and Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling for offering the top workplace education program for aboriginal people.

Inside Pauquachin community hall, instructors compete with the scream of saws to explain the intricacies of building stairs.

Vance Reid, 25, and Harvey Henry, 22, are carefully measuring the wood for one of the stair treads.

"I've never, ever built a set of stairs," said Reid.

"Before this, I was a commercial fisherman. This is a big transition."

The opportunities for a trades job was the attraction, he said.

"And there's a fallback if it doesn't work out right away. We've learned flagging and to drive a forklift, so it helps build your resume."

Louis Cooper, 16, is inside a large box, applying a second coat of paint to a simulated wall.

"I just like doing this," he said with a wide smile.

"I really like carpentry, so I hope I can go into that."

Chief Bruce Underwood says that if funding could be found to continue the program, it would make a serious dent in the unemployment problems on the reserve.

"As a nation, we wanted to do something to inspire our young people," he said.

Learning trades skills will not only help feed families when participants are offered jobs, but also instil pride and change the conversation around dinner tables, he said.

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